Article by
Barbados Today

Published on
April 15, 2015

MONTEVIDEO –– It seems iPads hold their value pretty well, especially if they have papal connections. One that Pope Francis once owned was just sold for US$30,500, according to Castells, an auction house in Uruguay.

The Apple tablet had all the personal touches.

The engraved iPad.

His Holiness Francisco and Vatican Internet Service, March 2013 were engraved on the back in Spanish and Italian. It also came with a keyboard and a certificate signed by the pope’s personal secretary.

The proceeds will go to a school in Montevideo, Uruguay.

It’s not the first time a papal hand-me-down has gone for big bucks.

Last year, the pope donated a Harley-Davidson that he was given to charity.

The motorcycle sold for US$284,000 at an auction, more than ten times its normal sales price. A Harley motorcycle jacket signed by Francis sold for nearly US$68,000.